Christof is a Reader in Exercise, Health, and Rehabilitation. He joined Â鶹ֱ²¥ University in 2009 to complete his PhD at the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport, for which he now leads the Health and Wellbeing Strand.
Christof's main research focus has evolved from Applied Exercise Physiology in populations with disabilities to research in the fields of Spinal Cord Injury, Upper Body Exercise, and Inflammation. His current projects are aimed at populations with reduced muscle mass or function, or those with an increased risk for chronic disease due to mobility restrictions. In addition to investigating exercise interventions, Christof is interested in the health promoting effects of heat therapy interventions.
In the area of teaching, Christof is leading and delivering on modules at both undergraduate and postgraduate level in the field of Exercise Physiology. Christof is currently leading the Learning and Teaching Discipline Group in Physiology and Nutrition. Christof has further led the development of a Windows Application that assists with marking, generating individual assessment feedback for students. Today, this application is in use across departments at Â鶹ֱ²¥ University.
Christof is involved in projects as follows:
- Passive elevations of core temperature as a method to improve the inflammatory risk marker profile
- Core and skin temperature and their relationship with the cytokine and heat shock protein response to exercise
- Core and skin temperature and perceptions of comfort and temperature
- Temperature and glycaemic control
- Acute passive elevations of core temperature and impact of high level spinal cord injuries
- Monocyte subtypes and leukocyte surface markers – influence of active muscle mass on exercise-induced responses
- The inflammatory response to exercise – impact of spinal cord injury level
- Exercise guidelines for adults with spinal cord injury
- External Examiner, Anglia Ruskin University
- UK-wide teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level
Featured publications
- Su Y., Hoekstra S.P., Leicht C.A. . Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. 2024;124(4):1109-1119. DOI: 10.1007/s00421-023-05336-8
- Maley M.J., Hunt A.P., Stewart I.B., Weier S., Holland J ., Leicht C.A., Minett G.M. . Temperature 2023;10(4):434-443. DOI: 10.1080/23328940.2022.2161242
- Bellini, D., Chapman C., Peden D., Hoekstra S.P., Ferguson R.A., Leicht C.A. . Eur. J. Sport Sci. 2023;23(8):1538-1546. DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2022.2103741
- Hoekstra S.P., Bishop N.C., Leicht C.A. Exerc. Immunol. Rev. 2020; 26:42-55.
- Leicht C.A., James, L.J., Briscoe, J.H.B., Hoekstra S.P. . Physiol. Reports 2019 Oct;7(20):e14223. DOI: 10.14814/phy2.14223
- Hoekstra S.P., Bishop N.C., Faulkner S.H., Bailey S.J., Leicht C.A. . J. Appl. Physiol. 2018; 125(6):2008-2018. DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00407.2018
- Martin Ginis K.A., van der Scheer J.W., Latimer-Cheung A.E., … Leicht C.A. et al. . Spinal Cord 2018; 56(4):308-21. DOI: 10.1038/s41393-017-0017-3
- Leicht C.A., Paulson, T.A.W., Goosey-Tolfrey V.L., Bishop N.C. . Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 2016; 48(6):1161-8. DOI: 10.1249/mss.0000000000000874
- Leicht C.A., Goosey-Tolfrey V.L, Bishop N.C. . Exerc. Immunol. Rev. 2013; 19: 144-63.